Honest cover letter lands grad willing to fetch coffee dream job

Honest cover letter lands grad willing to fetch coffee dream job

Everyone tries to put their best foot forward when submitting a resume and cover letter. Sometimes, just being honest is the best approach.

This story actually began in January of 2013. That is when San Diego State University student Matthew Ross penned a now-famous cover letter to the Wall Street firm Duff & Phelps.

Instead of telling Duff & Phelps about his credentials and skills or feeding them a line of nonsense about his past credentials, he told them the exact opposite.CLICK HERE TO READ LETTER

"The truth is I have no unbelievable special skills or genius eccentricities, but I do have a near perfect GPA and will work hard for you," he wrote.

Ross also said that he had "no qualms about fetching coffee, shining shoes or picking up laundry, and will work for next to nothing."

Of course the cover letter went viral and Ross was the center of attention almost immediately. Not only did he receive calls from multiple reporters, he was also contacted by various potential employers.

Flash forward to August 2014 and Ross finally has the job he dreamed of. He is currently an investment banking analyst for Duff & Phelps in Los Angeles, according to CNN Money.

Ross told CNN Money that he had read a bunch of cover letters before writing his and everyone was embellishing and lying. He decided to take a fresh approach and be honest.

Duff & Phelps liked his letter too. They were even more impressed during his interview. He started as an intern and within two months, he was offered a full-time job in the mergers and acquisitions group.

Here is something else interesting to note. A vice president for Duff & Phelps also said that the fact that Ross didn't come from an elite university may have helped motivate him to succeed. He went on to say that students who graduate from top colleges often have investment banks fawning over them, which can lead to a sense of entitlement. Therefore, they don't take the job seriously or they are not as grateful for the opportunity.

Joyce Lupiani

Joyce Lupiani, who is based in Las Vegas at KTNV-TV Channel 13, is a contributor to NowTrending.com.

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